HabsCast Hockey Blog

Gainey Hesitant to Pull Trigger … However, Still Tons of Trade Rumors

It’s been a while since I wrote my last blog mainly because I was abducted by aliens…and by that I mean I had a bunch of midterms and papers for school and was unable to attend my blogging duties. As we say in Quebec, désolé. Anyways, let’s get to the juicy stuff. The Montreal Canadiens are coming off one of their worst slumps in years. We went from 4th place in the East to being in the middle of the playoff race in a matter of a month. Now Bob Gainey is wondering if it’s time to change the environment on the Montreal roster. I have heard rumors about almost every player in the last couple of weeks, ranging from Sheldon Souray (what else is new) to captain Saku Koivu (that’s new). Hence, it seems like the rumors are telling us fans that everyone is real estate on the Montreal Canadiens.

The most realistic trade scenario would be Souray going to San Jose, who is seriously interested in the defenseman. Souray’s contract is up at the end of the season and it seems likely that he will be too pricey for the Montreal Canadiens, however, Souray signified that he would like to stay in Montreal. By not trading Souray, Gainey is risking not getting anyone for the Habs’ leading scorer. Another defenseman that has been rumored in leaving is Craig Rivet. There have been rumors of him landing in Edmonton or Chicago, however, I believe it is very unlikely. If the Habs want to make the playoffs they will need the character and locker room presence that Rivet offers. The most erroneous rumor that I’ve heard was Komisarek going to his hometown of Long Island. Komisarek has been a great asset to the Canadiens this season and is the future of our defensive core. I highly doubt Gainey will trade such a player.

The forwards on the Montreal Canadiens should feel a bit more insecure about their future on the team. I don’t thing there is one player whose name hasn’t appeared in a rumor. Michael Ryder, Sergei Samsonov, and Alexander Perezhogin have been in the midst of trade talk around the hockey world (funny how all three of these players scored in tonight’s game in Nashville). There are still rumors that Ryder may go to Florida and Samsonov to Chicago, but again, I highly doubt it will happen. Both Ryder and Samsonov have been having streaky seasons, which will most likely significantly lower their value. Moreover, the Habs already put Samsonov on waivers with no takers, which means teams aren’t interested. It also seems that Habs fans are ready to see Kovalev go but his contract and performance is something that no team will want. The craziest rumor to hit my eyes was the prospect that Saku Koivu would be traded to Minnesota or Anaheim by Tuesday. It’s an interesting idea but not going to happen. Koivu, without a doubt, will be a career Hab. Then again, who knows what surprises the trade deadline will bring?

Finally, the goalie situation is evermore interesting. The Canadiens seem to be riding call-up Jaroslav Halak to perhaps change the tide and so far it’s been working, for the Habs have won three straight. Obviously, Halak is an untouchable because he is our future, however, rumors continue to swirl around David Aebischer and even Cristobal Huet. Even more surprising is the Habs might even be contemplating in trading their 5th overall pick of the 2005 NHL draft, Carey Price. Now, I see Aebischer being moved but Huet and Price? I don’t think so. Huet is out for the rest of the regular season with a torn hamstring and Price has been dubbed the next big goalie in Montreal, especially after his performance at the World Juniors. The craziest thing I’ve heard is that the Habs are actually shopping for a goalie…not kidding. Rumor has it that Gainey is interested in Robert Esche of the Flyers.

With all the rumors floating around it’s hard to say what will really happen. Perhaps the Habs will even stand pat and stick with their current roster. It was working at the beginning of the season. Gainey has indicated that he will not consider making a trade until after the game on Monday against the Leafs, which means there are offers already on the table.

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